Aphrodite (The Modern Library of the World's Best Books, ML 77)

xviii, 264, [6] pp. Author's first novel, originally published in 1896. Translated into English by Lewis Galantiere. Aphrodite is a masterpiece of French 19th century literature. This classical tale of sensuous love was one of the best-selling novels of its time. Published in 1896, Aphrodite made Pierre Louys famous and was by far his greatest success, surpassing that of his other well-know works such as The Songs of Bilitis. The story takes place in Alexandria in the 1st Century BCE where Demetrios, a renowned artist falls in love with a courtesan, Chrysis. She asks him to prove his love to her by committing three crimes and Demetrios agrees. "Pierre Louys (December 10, 1870 - June 6, 1925) was a French poet and writer, most renowned for lesbian and classical themes in some of his writings. He is known as a writer who "expressed pagan sensuality with stylistic perfection.""